Steve Scalise throws out first pitch in Nationals-Cubs Game 1 (Video)

A week after returning to Congress, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was called upon to throw the first pitch for the Washington Nationals.

Over the past month, politics has been crossing over into the sports world. And while the political climate in the United States is a very divisive one currently, there was one tragic moment that brought the country together.

During practice for the Congressional Baseball Game back in June, Republican Steve Scalise was shot by a lone gunman and bled out. He required medical attention and stayed out of Congress for the better part of four months. It was later discovered that the shooter was a Bernie Sanders supporter. But towards the end of September, he returned to give a speech recounting the horrific events.

Considering he was shot on a baseball field, and he had just returned to active duty, the Washington Nationals decided to extend an olive branch to the House Majority Whip. In their first game of the playoffs, Scalise was brought out to throw the opening pitch:

As you can clearly see, he hasn’t fully healed. He was brought out on two crutches and threw on a tiny mound closer to home plate. But he was still able to hurl the ball down the middle for a strike. As an added bonus, the person he threw to was officer David Bailey, who helped take down the gunman and was also injured himself that day.

Shortly after returning to Congress, Scalise gave a chilling interview to 60 Minutes where he described how his body “went numb” and didn’t know how bad the wounds were. He then said the first thought he had was “God, please don’t let my daughter have to walk up the aisle alone.”

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Thankfully, Scalise is in good spirits now while the Nationals should be commended for this classy gesture. This should win them more fans as they get their playoff run rolling.